The invention relates to a system including a self-propelled harvesting machine and a drivable collecting container equipped with a drive unit in which the collecting container is positionable relative to the harvesting machine and moveable in parallel therewith. Crop can be fed directly or indirectly to the collecting container from the harvesting machine during the harvesting operation by way of a feed pipe equipped with an outlet chute, having a device for loading the collecting container in a uniform manner. The invention also relates to a method for unloading crop stored in a grain tank of a self-propelled combine harvester into a drivable collecting container equipped with a drive unit, where the collecting container is positionable relative to the combine harvester and moveable parallel thereto while the crop is fed into the collecting container directly or indirectly by way of a grain tank discharge pipe equipped with an outlet chute, simultaneous with the harvesting operation.
In the initial stages of technical development, harvesting machines in the form of combine harvesters or forage harvesters were usually not equipped with a separate drive and, instead, were drawn by a tractor and driven by way of the P.T.O. shaft thereof. Since then, nearly all combine harvesters used to harvest grain, rapeseed or corn are designed as self-propelled harvesting machines. High-performance forage harvesters, as self-propelled harvesting machines used by large-scale operations or contractors, also comprise a separate drive unit.
In farming, there is only a relatively short period of time available each year for harvesting grain and rapeseed, namely that period of time in which the stalk crop has reached a certain level of maturity for attaining a relatively good harvesting result. In addition, a certain moisture content must not be exceeded in order to save drying costs, which can have a considerable effect on the prices that can be obtained. As a result, highly efficient harvesting machines, such as combine harvesters having a higher rate of work, are used, the front harvesting attachment of which is designed with a large working width, said front harvesting attachment being in the form of a grain or rapeseed cutting mechanism or a corn picker.
This increase in the working width of the front harvesting attachment and a corresponding increase in the output of the threshing mechanism result in a large quantity of crop accumulating in the grain tank within a short time interval. The capacity of the grain tank would likewise need to be increased considerably, to avoid having to interrupt the harvesting procedure at short time intervals and move one of possibly several collecting containers positioned on the field in the direction thereof in order to transfer the crop. Increasing the capacity of the grain tank accordingly and storing the maximum quantity of grain would result in a considerable increase in the weight of said self-propelled harvesting machine. The disadvantage of a related weight increase is the ground compression caused by the tires of the combine harvester on the field, which has an unfavorable effect on the optimum soil condition because plant growth is reduced considerably in these extremely compressed tracks, since the compression of the ground greatly restricts the circulation of air and water. In addition, if the capacity of the grain tank were not increased, the intervals for unloading the crop from the grain tank into the particular collecting containers would be greatly shortened, thereby making it necessary to interrupt the harvesting process very frequently, which, in sum, results in a relatively long standstill time of the combine harvester.
For this reason, in the case of high-performance combine harvesters comprising a harvesting front attachment having a correspondingly large working width, the transfer of crop from the grain tank into the collecting container, i.e. the grain tank unloading process, takes place simultaneously with the harvesting process. This means that, in a phase in which the grain tank of the combine harvester has reached the maximum fill level thereof, the collecting container—which is likewise designed to be self-propelled or can be moved using a tractor—assumes a position next to the combine harvester, in which the crop is conveyed into the collecting container by way of a feed pipe equipped with an outlet chute.
In this context, systems are known, in which the driver of the combine harvester not only monitors all the functions of the combine harvester and makes the necessary adjustment procedures thereon; from his driver's cab, the driver also requests the collecting container located closest to the harvesting machine and controls it in such a way that the collecting container travels parallel to the harvesting machine. The ground speed of the collecting container is therefore matched to that of the harvesting machine. Once the collecting container has been moved into a position relative to the combine harvester in this manner, the crop is transferred or discharged using an auger for unloading the grain tank, which is disposed in a feed pipe swivelled outward accordingly.
While the crop is being fed to the collecting container, this transfer procedure must be monitored continuously to ensure that grain losses do not occur during this process. It is possible, for example, for the outlet chute of the feed pipe to assume a position relative to the collecting container, in which components of the crop drop next to the collecting container. This problem could possibly also occur if, due to weather conditions, a strong cross wind blows grains out of the crop stream and conveys them next to the collecting container. In addition, the entire volume of the collecting container should be utilized, if possible, that is, the crop must be distributed in the collecting container in an optimal manner. Moreover, the filling of the collecting container must be stopped when a maximum level of the collected material has been reached in the individual regions of the collecting container since parts of the crop would otherwise fall to the ground at the end of the filling process or when the collecting container is subsequently hauled away. It is also important for the driver to concentrate primarily on the cutting and threshing process, when harvesting grain, for example; that is, the view of the harvesting front attachment plays an important role. If he must also monitor the position of the collecting container and the grain tank unloading process, however, he becomes too distracted from this main task. Moreover, his view of the collecting container is often restricted by dust formation during the threshing process and the grain tank unloading process, thereby leaving him with hardly any options for fully monitoring the loading of the crop into the collecting container.
The aforementioned problems apply for a harvesting machine equipped with a threshing mechanism and for a self-propelled forage harvester or corn harvester, wherein the crop is not stored for the interim in a tank on the harvesting machine, and is instead ejected directly by way of the feed pipe in the direction of the collecting tank. Exact positioning of the collecting containers, which must constantly travel behind or next to the harvesting machine, is crucial in this case as well.
A harvesting device comprising a self-propelled harvesting machine and a driveable collecting container comprising a drive unit is known from EP 2 245 916 A1. The collecting container, which is moved by a tractor parallel to the harvesting machine, should be loaded in a uniform manner by changing the position of the collecting container with respect to the outlet chute of the feed pipe in the direction of travel. This change in the relative position of the collecting container with respect to the harvesting machine, and maintenance of a parallel driving track are attained by way of a GPS system. Moreover, the outlet chute is designed to be swivelable with respect to the feed pipe, and is adjusted by way of the automatic control system such that the ejected crop lands specifically in the collecting container without grain losses.
In addition, EP 1 219 153 A2 makes known a system comprising a self-propelled harvesting machine and a drivable collecting container, in the case of which relative positions of the harvesting machine and the collecting container should likewise be shifted with respect to one another, depending on GPS monitoring and radio signals, in such a manner that the collecting container is loaded completely in accordance with the capacity thereof.